Poppy Denby, Arts and Entertainment Editor at The Daily Globe, covers an exhibition of Russian Art, hosted by White Russian refugees, including members of the surviving exiled Romanov Royal family. There is an armed robbery, a guard is shot, and the largest Faberge Egg in the collection is stolen. The egg itself is valuable, but more so are the secrets it contains within - secrets that could threaten major political powers. Suspects are aplenty, including the former keeper of the Faberge Egg, a Russian Princess called Selena Romanova Yusopova. The interim Bolshevik Russian ambassador, Vasili Safin inserts himself into the investigation, as he believes the egg - and the other treasures - should all be restored to the Russian people. Poppy, her editor Rollo, press photographer Daniel, and the other staff of the Globe are delighted to be once again in the middle of a sensational story. But, soon the investigation takes a dark turn when another body is found and an employee of the newspaper becomes a suspect...The race is on to find both the key and the egg - can they be found before the killer strikes again?

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When I chose this book to review, I had no idea that it was book 2 in a series. Thank goodness I didn't or I might have missed out on what turned out to be a fantastic book! It works just fine as a standalone. There, now that I've gotten that out of the way, let's roll on to the actual review!

This book starts out with lots of explanation type stuff. There's a map, a list of characters, and and explanation to do with the differences between the White and Red Russians. Taking the time to read this really helped me get into the book. It helped me "investigate" alongside Poppy and while the results weren't totally what I thought, I also wasn't horribly surprised. I'm good with that. I'm not a giant fan of books where I feel like a total dingbat at the end.

The story is easy to read and Poppy is a fantastically likable character. The tidbits of history were one of my favorite bits but that's not surprising because I love history. All in all, this is a book that you're going to want to pick up if you're a lover of history and mystery.


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Lord Gilbert Talbot must provide soldiers for Prince Edward's battle in France. He wishes his surgeon--Hugh de Singleton--to travel with the war party to tend any injuries. Among those on the road is Sir Simon Trillowe, Hugh's old nemesis, who had once torched Hugh's house.

Finding himself in the same war party, Hugh resolves to watch his back in the presence of the knight, who is still holding a grudge. But it is Sir Simon who should not have turned his back....

When Trillowe's body is found, many suspect Hugh has wreaked revenge on his adversary. To clear his name, Hugh must once again riddle a reason for murder.
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Sometimes there is nothing better than to get lost in a good book and this book provided me just the escape that I needed. I've only read one other book in this series. After reading this one, I'm going to have to try to figure out why that might be.

While this book only clocks in at 148 pages, that isn't a bad thing. It's the perfect size to tuck into a bag or to curl up with on a cool evening. While the author uses historical terms in the book, he also provides a fantastic glossary at the start of the book so you won't be lost among strange words you may have never seen before. As for the story itself, it moves along at just the right speed and while I had figured out parts of the mystery, parts of it took me by surprise. As a mystery lover, I appreciate this. Books where I feel clueless or far too smart just aren't as much fun to read.

My recommendation? Pick up this book or heck, the entire series! This book stands perfectly on its own, but I highly suspect that you'll enjoy the entire series and with those cold winter nights ahead, why not build up your books to be read by the fire pile?



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At first glance, the young woman found in the early hours of the morning where bombs have landed is just another casualty of the previous night's air raid. But when the post-mortem shows signs of strangulation, Detective Inspector Jago is called on to investigate.

The dead woman is smartly dressed but carries no identification. However, a local engineering company reports a staff member has failed to appear at work that morning and the body is quickly identified as that of Miss Mary Watkins.

DI Jago's initial interviews yield little fruit; no one can think of a reason why Mary would be murdered. But as the investigation continues DI Jago begins to uncover a trail of deception and betrayal.

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As someone who has read everything Agatha Christie has ever written and every Sherlock known to man, I couldn't resist a good mystery when it was offered to me. I'm glad I didn't. While it took me a little bit to get into it, by the time I reached the end, I was regretting that I hadn't read the first book in this series.

Let me explain. This book is the second book in the Blitz Detective series. Why did I regret not reading the first book? Not because I needed to for this one to make sense, but because this one was good enough to make me want to go back. The author does a fantastic job of painting a picture of what London was like during the blitz. The characters were real and there were plenty of them for you to try to figure out the "whodunnit". I'll confess! I figured out tiny pieces of it but the whole picture took me by surprise. For me, those are the best kind!

So, if you get a chance to pick up this book, I can happily say that I think you should!



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Branigan Powers knows a good story when she sees one—and the ten-year-old cold case of wealthy Alberta Grambling Resnick's murder definitely makes the cut. Resnick was stabbed in her home after she let it slip that she was planning to change her will. There are plenty of suspects in the death of the matriarch of the town's founding family, but the killer has never been caught.

Now Branigan must do some serious digging to get her story. She knows the town's homeless community might have seen something; she also knows that the local cops wouldn't have thought of questioning these often-invisible people. There's a big problem, though: as Branigan starts digging, the homeless start dying. When her twin brother, a long-time addict, gets involved, the consequences of her investigation may hit a little too close to home.

Set in the fictional small town of Grambling, Georgia, The Cantaloupe Thief is the first in a new mystery series by Deb Richardson-Moore. The author is herself a former journalist and works extensively with the homeless, lending weight to the portrayal of a believable and engaging whodunit.

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What happens when your allergies wake you up in intense pain at 1:30am and it takes forever for pain medications to kick in? You pick up the closest book and you start reading...and in this case, you keep reading until the bendadryl has you nearly comatose and then the next day you pick the book right back up and finish it. That's what happened with this book.

I am incredibly impressed that this is that author's first mystery novel because the mystery is part of what kept me reading right up until the last page. I honestly had no idea who had done it. My favorite part of this book? The author uses her story to remind us all to take better care of the people around us and that nobody is invisible. We all have worth. It's easy to forget what others are going through, but we need to be aware.

What else can I say about this book? It had just the right blend of mystery, tugging on the heart strings, social consciousness, and honest to goodness good old fashioned enjoyable reading. From what I've found out, this is only the author's second book, but I certainly hope that it isn't her last. It would be a downright shame not to make this a series!




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An epic novel exposing the ugliness of war and the beauty of hopeThe city of Kiev was bombed in Hitler's blitzkrieg across the Soviet Union, but the constant siege was only the beginning for her citizens. In this sweeping historical saga, Kelli Stuart takes the reader on a captivating journey into the little--known history of Ukraine's tragedies through the eyes of four compelling characters who experience the same story from different perspectives.

Maria Ivanovna is only fourteen when the bombing begins and not much older when she is forced into work at a German labor camp. She must fight to survive and to make her way back to her beloved Ukraine.

Ivan Kyrilovich is falsely mistaken for a Jew and lined up with 34,000 other men, women, and children who are to be shot at the edge of Babi Yar, the "killing ditch." He survives, but not without devastating consequences.

Luda is sixteen when German soldiers rape her. Now pregnant with the child of the enemy, she is abandoned by her father, alone, and in pain. She must learn to trust family and friends again and find her own strength in order to discover the redemption that awaits.

Frederick Hermann is sure in his knowledge that the Fuhrer's plans for domination are right and just. He is driven to succeed by a desire to please a demanding father and by his own blind faith in the ideals of Nazism. Based on true stories gathered from fifteen years of research and interviews with Ukrainian World War II survivors, Like a River from Its Course is a story of love, war, heartache, forgiveness, and redemption.

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It's rare that a book reaches out, grabs you by the heart and refuses to let go. This book does just that. Told from four points of view, this book shows you a side of war that they don't teach you sitting in a classroom. Don't get me wrong. Dates, locations, names of the major players are important, but this book shows what war really is. It shows the personal side, how it affected the average person and how those average people survived.

This is a book that every history student should be made to read. I laughed, cried, mourned, and celebrated with each of the characters. I was picking this book up every free moment that I had and I won't lie when I say that this book changed me and put me in touch with a time that happened before I was born. When time passes, we become disconnected. This book reconnects people with what was truly a terrible time. I cannot recommend this book enough.




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Miriam was glad to be warm and cozy. There were so many people in the town but it was nice and peaceful inside her cowshed. Little did she know that she would soon be joined by Midnight Visitors . . . and not just any old visitors!

Snuggle up and enjoy the warm, soft feel the art and narrative bring to this delightful Christmas picture book with a difference.

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I absolutely loved this sweet book about Miriam and how she shared her space, not only with other animals on a cold night, but the baby Jesus himself. The story is perfect for children and I can't say enough good about the illustrations. This is a book that would be treasured by any child. My only regret is that my children aren't young enough to cuddle up and read with. Luckily for us though, they have a baby brother who can enjoy it for years to come.




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Marin Ellis is in search of a new start after her father and his second wife die in a car accident, and at thirty-seven she is made guardian of her fifteen-year-old half-sister Rebecca. They leave Hampshire for the picturesque village of Goswell on the Cumbrian coast, and settle into Bower House on the edge of the village church property. When a door to a walled garden captures Rebecca’s interest, Marin becomes determined to open it and discover what is hidden beneath the bramble inside. She enlists the help of local gardener Joss Fowler, and together the three of them begin to uncover the garden’s secrets. In 1919, nineteen-year-old Eleanor Sanderson, daughter of Goswell’s vicar, is grieving the loss of her beloved brother Walter, who was killed just days before the Armistice was signed. Eleanor retreats into herself and her father starts to notice how unhappy she is. As spring arrives, he decides to hire someone to make a garden for Eleanor, and draw her out of - or at least distract her from - her grief and sorrow. Jack Taylor is in his early twenties, a Yorkshire man who has been doing odd jobs in the village, and when Eleanor’s father hires him to work on the vicarage gardens, a surprising - and unsuitable - friendship unfolds.

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It's been a long time since I've read a book that had me in tears more than once. There's just something about the author's writing style that tugged hard at my heart strings. I felt as if both Marin and Eleanor could have been my sisters, best friends, or even that they represented parts of myself. Both strong women whose lives had handed them hard times, still, they kept moving and I won't ruin the book for you, but just trust me when I say that once you get this book and open the front cover, you won't want to stop reading until you close the back cover. This is one book that will never be leaving my shelves to go onto the library free shelves. I somehow know that I will come back to this book time and time again, reliving those moments, purging those bottled up tears, and smiling at the sweet moments.

If you're looking for a book that will make you feel in all of the ways you can feel, The Lost Garden is one that you should be picking up. You're not going to regret it.



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In a moment of decision, they will each face the truth of their own heart in God's presence

Tom must choose between the beautiful girl he loves and the call of God upon his life.

In utter despair and abandonment, Francis finds that Someone is already praying in his own dark Gethsemane. Never again will he need to hide his pain and insecurity behind a jest.

When James cannot escape the truth of who he is, waves of shame threaten to engulf him. He pours out his confession and grief to God and rises a newborn child of grace

They belonged to another century, yet their struggles are our own—finding our niche; coping with failure; living with impossible people; and changing when we realize that we are the impossible one. These humble seekers, called to live together in brotherhood, discover in the daily rhythm of their work and worship that the whole of life is a love story about a tender and passionate God. Rich with imagery and emotion, their tales depict love in action, and love given in the most trying of circumstances.

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This series of books (The Hawk and the Dove, The Wounds of God, The Long Fall) had me from the first few sentences. I started reading and I couldn't put them down. It's pretty well known that I'm a lover of historical fiction, but I admit that I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this series. Well, as you've already discovered, I loved it.  The writing was down to earth and opened me up to a world that I'd never really experienced before. It's not often that I get to delve into the lives of monks living back in the 14th century and honestly, I'm hoping that I get another chance at another time.



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Join Andrea Carter for more adventures in nineteenth-century California! The independent tomboy Andrea Carter and her beloved horse, Taffy, were first introduced in Andrea Carter and the Long Ride Home in 2005. Since then, popular author Susan Marlow has penned five more books in the Circle C Adventures series, filled in Andi's early years with the Circle C Beginnings series, and started a chronicle of Andrea's teen years in Circle C Milestones. Published to celebrate the tenth anniversary of this positive role model for girls, Andrea Carter's Tales from the Circle C Ranch is a collection of short stories inspired by fan questions that fills in many of the gaps between Circle C Beginnings and Circle C Adventures. Taking place between 1873 and 1880, each story is prefaced by an explanatory note that pinpoints the action of the story in relation to events in the existing Andrea Carter books. Wholesome fun, and with a clear Christian message throughout, Andrea Carter's Tales from the Circle C Ranch is a must-read for fans of the series and a fun introduction for those who haven't yet discovered these historical gems.

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I do hate when posts disappear! I don't know how, but somehow this one did. Have no fear, though, I'm back to tell you all about this book...again.

This book was a quick, easy read that made me want to go looking for all of the books in this series. While it's a children's book, that rarely stops me and this is the kind of series that I would have loved to have on my shelf when I was a child. Ms. Marlow writes in a down to earth style that had me turning page after page until before I knew it, the afternoon had passed and I was hurrying to go get dinner on the stove. This book is great for long time fans of the series, as well as newcomers. Fans will find references at the start of each story telling them right where they fit into the series.

I don't know if I'm going to go out and purchase the other books in the series quite yet, but for sure, they're going on my wish list!



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Girls will love Andrea's new adventures in Circle C Milestones, the continuation of Susan K. Marlow's two popular Circle C series

It's no secret that Andrea Carter would rather ride her beloved palomino, Taffy, than do anything else. Now Taffy's having her first foal, and Andi can't wait to train it to become as good a companion as its mother. The only distraction from those delightful plans is the fear that something may go wrong. When her foaling fears are realized, Andi is grateful for her brother Chad's intervention. It looks like smooth sailing from now on!

Unfortunately, life as a teenager might not be all fun and games after all. There's a new girl at school assigned to sit beside Andi--but Macy Walker is nothing like the other girls. She's homeless and ill-bred, and her mistakes do more than make Andi uncomfortable; they put her life in danger. Meanwhile, cattle rustlers have suddenly descended on the Valley and the Circle C ranch is a target. These outlaws mean business--and their business is theft.

When the thieves change from stealing cattle to stealing horses, it means heartbreaking loss for Andi. Her unpleasant classmate Macy may hold the key to getting Taffy's foal back. Can Andi trust Macy to do the right thing? Does she have a choice?

Picking up the story line of Andrea Carter and the Price of Truth, Thick as Thieves sees Andi growing up just in time for her loyal readers to grow alongside her. The Circle C Milestones series will follow Andi from age 14 to 17, as she begins to tackle the more serious issues facing an older audience and--eventually--discovers love.

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It's been a while since I've read anything geared towards teenagers, but this book wasn't a disappointment. Filled with action, family and some great lessons, Thick as Thieves kept me reading. I remember a time when a book that included horses would have kept me reading well past bedtime and I think if you have a child who loves them, this one could do the same thing. My only complaint is that while this is book 1 in the series, it does come after other books so I did feel a bit lost when it referenced things from the past. All in all though, I think this book is perfect for the tween set, especially if they love horses, adventure and a whole lot of excitement.



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They say that what you don't know can't hurt you. They're wrong.

David Dryden, pastor of a high-profile church in London, is admired for his emphasis on the Christian family.

But all is not well in his own family. He and his wife, Fiona, have been glossing over his son Colom's erratic behavior. Then, when a commitment to die is discovered in Colom's room after the suicide of a school friend, David finds himself out of his depth--and Fiona, in panic, takes Colom and flees.

A wonderful, intelligent, and searching novel about the toxic nature of secrets, and the possibility of starting again.

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Whew! This book had me running the full gamut of emotions. As the mother of two teenage boys very close in age to Colom, it wasn't hard for me to relate to his mom, Fiona. I should warn you right up front that this isn't a fluff book on any level. It's the type of book that's going to draw you in and leave you feeling a bit wrung out when you're done. It tackles the complexities that make up human relationships and dysfunctional family dynamics in a way that will have you turning page after page. I don't know that this is one I'm going to pick up again soon, but it is one that's going to go up on my shelves.



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When your life is built around a father's wrath, how can you trust in the love of Father God?

Mercy Roller knows her name is a lie: there has never been any mercy in her young life. Raised by a twisted and abusive father who called himself the Pastor, she was abandoned by the church community that should have stood together to protect her from his evil. Her mother, consumed by her own fear and hate, won't stand her ground to save Mercy either.

The Pastor has robbed Mercy of innocence and love, a husband and her child. Not a single person seems capable of standing up to the Pastor's unrestrained evil. So Mercy takes matters into her own hands.

Her heart was hardened to love long before she took on the role of judge, jury, and executioner of the Pastor. She just didn't realize the retribution she thought would save her, might turn her into the very thing she hated most.

Sent away by her angry and grieving mother, Mercy's path is unclear until she meets a young preacher headed to counsel a pregnant couple. Sure that her calling is to protect the family, Mercy is drawn into a different life on the other side of the mountain where she slowly discovers true righteousness has nothing evil about it--and that there might be room for her own stained and shattered soul to find shelter. . . and even love.

Mercy's Rain is a remarkable historical novel set in 19th century Appalachia that traces the thorny path from bitterness to forgiveness and reveals the victory and strength that comes from simple faith.

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Every once in a while you come across a book that just doesn't seem to fit in with whatever it is that you've been reading lately. Mercy's Rain was that kind of book for me. This wasn't an easy book to read, though the author handled very difficult subjects with amazing skill. As a reader, I was drawn into the story and felt almost as if I were living it right alongside Mercy. It's not a book that I think I'll read again soon, but it is a book that will go on my shelf for another read.



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A riveting international adventure-mystery

Investigating a burglary at an English country house, Detective Chief Inspector Robbie Peele comes face to face with one of the most mysterious objects in world archaeology, the Phaestos Disk--and with the Middle Eastern terrorist cell determined to steal it.

The vital clue is a long abandoned Muslim village in Crete, where a Victorian gentleman explorer witnessed horrors that were meant to be secret and recorded what he saw in coded diaries. Seeking the truth about the Phaestos Disk, Peele and his assistant, Sarah Shipton, are on the cusp of solving the mystery when they are caught in an ancient Egyptian burial chamber during an earthquake.

In the end Peele has to ask far harder questions than simply who committed the original burglary. The origins of the Phaestos Disk are inextricably bound up with the Middle East peace process in ways that frustrate and astound him.

Certain to draw readers into a world of ancient secrets and international intrigue, The Babylon Contingency is the first in a riveting new series from experienced journalist and broadcaster Clifford Longley.

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Another book that had amazing potential but just fell a little bit short. This book is filled with abbreviations that unless you're familiar with the British police system, you're just not quite going to get it right away. The book is also told from the first person point of view, which is fine but it did seem to limit the amount of character development that happened within the book. Sadly, the pacing was off as well. Just when you thought it was going to crank right along, it slowed down and then right at the end, everything sped up to wrap it all up in a hurry. My recommendation is that the author, who is by trade a journalist, work with someone who has more experience with writing fiction.



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My life would have been more tranquil in the days after Martinmas had I not seen the crows. Whatever it was that the crows had found lay in the dappled shadow of the bare limbs of the oak, so I was nearly upon the thing before I recognized what the crows were feasting upon. The corpse wore black.Master Hugh is making his way towards Oxford when he discovers the young Benedictine - a fresh body, barefoot - not half a mile from the nearby abbey. The abbey's novice master confirms the boy's identity: John, one of three novices. But he had gone missing four days previously, and his corpse is fresh. There has been plague in the area, but this was not the cause of death: the lad has been stabbed in the back. To Hugh's sinking heart, the abbot has a commission for him . . .

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If you enjoy series, medieval mysteries and whodunits, then this could be the series for you. While this book is the 7th in the series, it works wonderfully as a standalone. That being said, if you enjoy things like Agatha Christie or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, I'd suggest that you find the other books and enjoy them all. I love that this book stays true to the time period that it was written for. After all, who of us would investigate a murder in exchange for a Bible these days? It would be much easier to leave it to the police...oh wait, there wasn't an official police force back then. I really enjoyed the variety of characters in this book...everything from Sir Hugh (a surgeon and bailiff) to the various characters within and outside of the monastery. It seems that every type of person you could expect was represented. The book moves along at a good pace and before you know it, he's solved the crime and you're left wondering when the next book is coming out!



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Fashion model Kirsty Manners is young, beautiful, and recently dead

Kirsty Manners is trying to make it as a model. As the in-house model for the Ivano King fashion house and girlfriend of Ian King, the man behind the label, she believes she is well on her way. But Kirsty is found dead in her flat one Sunday afternoon and D. I. Angela Costello is called to the scene.

First enquiries center on the local gym where Kirsty, her dangerous ex-boyfriend, Darren Carpenter, and her jealous flatmate, Sandra Hodges, worked out. But things are more complicated. Ian King is considered to have lost his edge. Why then is he so buoyant about his latest collection for London Fashion Week? What about his new girlfriend, Eleanor Chandler, who openly admits to having a reason to wish Kirsty dead?

Behind the gleaming smiles and flawless makeup of the glamorous fashion world, Angela's enquiries uncover theft, drug-addiction, prostitution, and imprisonment--and suddenly her own life could be in danger.

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Mystery with a touch of glamor. Like so many other reviews that you might read, I'm going to say that if you're a fan of the old fashioned Agatha Christie style whodunit, you're going to most likely be a fan of this book. While the book starts out with even the reader in the dark, it doesn't take long for the pieces to start coming together. This doesn't mean that you know who did it! Sometimes my opinion changed from chapter to chapter. If you're looking for a great mystery read (with other books in the series) that doesn't have a lot of eww gross, this may just be the book for you.



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In this sequel to The Bargain, Betsie Troyer is back home in her Amish community where she knows she belongs, free from the confusing Englisher way of life. She and Charley Yoder have made promises to each other, and her life is back on track--until Gerald Sullivan shows up with his young daughter, asking for Betsie's help. He’s on his way to find his estranged wife, and begs Betsie to take young Sheila in. When she agrees, Betsie's carefully planned life is shaken up again. Sheila's newfound faith is troubling to Charley--and his attraction to another girl is beginning to be a problem. But how can Betsie confront him when she is still trying to confront her own feelings about Sheila's brother, Michael? Keeping the peace between the Amish man she's always loved, a twelve-year-old Englisher girl, and a draft-dodging hippie is more than she ever thought she’d have to deal with in her simple, orderly life. Still, Betsie is convinced she can keep things from falling apart completely. Then during her best friend's wedding, tragedy strikes and her world is upended. She has to make a decision: does she love Charley or Michael . . . or is she craving a deeper love that only God can give? The compelling second novel of the Plain City Peace series, The Bachelor deftly weaves together the strands of a solid, simpler time with the turmoil of an era of change, revealing the strengths of both in its powerful narrative.

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I really enjoyed this book. The story moves at the perfect pace to keep you turning page after page after page. The characters are engaging and you can't help but love little Sheila especially. If I had one complaint it's that this is the second book in a series and while it works well as a standalone, there are many, many unanswered questions at the end so you or I will have to go get the next book to find out the answers. Personally, I'm going to be keeping my eyes open for it.



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In 1536 it seems the entire known world is changing--strange new lands are discovered and the Reformation is challenging Rome and its power. In England the king's declaration of a new church and dissolution of the monasteries overturns the customs and authorities of centuries. In the new world order, spies abound and no one can be trusted.

To Brother Pacificus of the Abbey of St. Benet's in Norfolk, it looks like his abbey alone will be spared dissolution. But this last Benedictine house is mired in murder and intrigue. Then when Pacificus falls under suspicion, more than his own dark past comes to light, while the body count keeps rising. Pacificus's fate becomes entwined with that of three local children after their parents are arrested for treason and heresy. Protected only by this errant monk, a mysterious leper, and a Dutch eel-catcher, the children must quickly adjust; seeking their own identity, they soon find that neither parents nor protectors are quite what they seem.

Based on historical events, this post-medieval mystery is laced with romance, fueled by greed, and punctuated with bouts of feasting, smuggling, and jailbreak.

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When this book arrived in the mail, I nearly choked at the size of it. 608 pages. It turns out that it was 608 pages of fast reading. This book pretty much includes it all...religion, politics, action, adventure and even a touch of romance. I will say that if you have trouble keeping track of who is who, this might not be the book for you. Instead of just taking place in a time period, the time period is as much of the book as the characters themselves. To that extent, it was wonderful to see the very people that Ben and I have been studying in world history come to life. I honestly really enjoyed this book and I only have one real complaint and trust me, it's minor. At the end of the book, the author wrote a series of letters (or portions of them) to help give closure as to what happened to the characters. I would have much rather seen an epilogue that really covered everyone in a fuller fashion.



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